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As is wont to happen in this digital day and age of instant gratification and wanton impatience, the first trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked online late yesterday ahead of its planned debut during next week's episode of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". To the amazement of many, Marvel Studios just went with it and went ahead and officially released the trailer online. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth as people tried to comprehend how such precious footage remained in the public eye against the will of the Marvel Overlords. And then this tweet came from Marvel Entertainment's official Twitter page. “Dammit Hydra”.

Yes, to be fair, if Hydra is evil enough to make Gary Shandling turn against his own country, then they could easily leak a trailer for a film that details the exploits of those heroes that constantly foil their nefarious schemes. Or maybe it’s just that Marvel Entertainment is having a bit of light-hearted fun with us. Usually the debut of a trailer for a long-awaited movie can be cause for some trepidation, but with Marvel, I think maintaining the public’s interest in an Avengers movie is like shooting fish in a barrel... $623,000,000 worth of fish in a barrel, that is. Okay, enough stalling. Cast your eyes below and enjoy the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Let me start of by saying that I am a man who enjoys the finer things in life when it comes to cinema, but I am still able to kick back and enjoy some good old-fashioned fun. There are many superhero movies out there that I enjoy, and they can easily play on the same field as the "classics". The first Avengers movie was an exciting roller coaster ride that managed the seemingly impossible task of combining a bunch of baby franchises into one humongous monster franchise. And it was done with tender loving care that resulted in some fine filmmaking and storytelling. This looks like more of the same, with an albeit darker tone (which seems par for the course these days). At least our good friend Joss Whedon is still behind the scenes to make sure we get our bang for our buck. Whedon is certainly a friend to us all and we’re happy to have him at the helm of this film series for many, many years to come. You wouldn’t leave us, would you Joss... Joss?

Anywhoo, the plot is still somewhat under wraps, but this much I have been able to gather from the trailer: The Avengers are back. Also, there’s a robot named Ultron, and he is upset about his age or maybe the poor bodywork that Tony Stark did on him, as seen early on in the trailer. The Hulk gets mad, as he does, and Iron Man suits up in his Hulk Buster armor in order to gently talk him down. Oh, and the husband-and-wife team from Godzilla are the brother-and-sister team of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. All I know is that, if you pause the trailer at 1:36, you’ll see that we are in for one of the most epic ballet classes in all of Time and Space. Good on you, Whedon, good on you.

All kidding aside, though, I cannot wait for this movie. It seems like it has been a long time coming (it really hasn’t), and in the interim, Marvel has gifted us with some fine movies in the forms of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel Studios, Joss Whedon, Robert Downey Jr., and Thanos himself have every right to be confident in this latest installment of the Marvel Movie Universe. I for one already brought my ticket during the credits of the first Avengers flick, and if this trailer is indication, I will not be disappointed in my decision.

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1, 2015. Be there, or be... attacked by a bunch of robots voiced by James Spader.

In the meantime, be sure to check out YH's chat with the Avengers themselves at Comic-Con this summer:

(Screenshot via YouTube)

Greg McIver can be found on Twitter @GregPMcIver. Be sure to tune in to his weekly film review show, Filmtopiacast 3000, which is currently available on YouTube.